Exhibition Statement

Introduction

How can a person improve their art style? This is a common question from many aspiring artists who are looking to establish their own unique style while improving their technique. The answer to this question? Practice. This project aims to explore how studying the art styles of others can be one of many effective means of improving one’s art style. This project features an analytical study of certain aspects of two different artist’s styles, and a digital illustration that showcases the result of incorporating techniques and features other artists use as a means of improving a preexisting drawing.

Literature Review

This project is centered around modern art; in particular, art styles that are often considered more anime or fantasy inspired art. This project drew upon art from two artists that capture this style: WLOP amd Yuumei Art. All three artists have relatively similar, yet distinct styles whose techniques are explored throughout this project as a means of understanding what it is that makes an art style unique. In addition to artists, additional research was also done on defining different aspects of artistic styles. This involved learning more about topics such as the seven elements of art as well as what to focus on when conducting an art critique (Esaak). All of the literature used in this project was for the purpose of learning how to break down art styles into smaller elements that are easier for the general audience to understand.

Methods

Research was done on different elements of art: color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value at the start of the process to better understand how to distinguish unique elements that make up an art style and apply this knowledge during the analysis portion of the project (Esaak). For the analysis portion, this project focused specifically on color, composition, and perspective and how each were used to create defining features within the portfolios of both artists. Additional research was conducted on how to recreate these features through tutorials and videos, some of which came from the artists themselves, and others which came from the general digital art community. These techniques were put into practice through a series of smaller thumbnail sketches before being incorporated into the final drawing.

Audience and Impact

This project is targeted towards artists who are looking for ways to develop their own styles. This project explores one of many possible methods for improving one’s own artwork and is created in hopes of revealing an effective option for those who are looking for a way to improve their art. As an artist myself, this project was also created in hopes of developing my own style and to gain a better understanding of how artist’s that I look up to go about creating their work.

References

Esaak, Shelley. "The 7 Elements of Art and Why Knowing Them Is Important." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/what-are-the-elements-of-art-182704.

ArtStation. WLOP, https://www.artstation.com/wlop

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank my faculty advisors Heather, Gabi, and Herald as well as my peers for providing feedback and support throughout the duration of my project.